Did mechanics cause Strasburg’s injury? (MLB.com). I’m not singling out this particular article, but the media coverage of Strasburg’s injury promises to be annoying beyond description. [h/t BBTF]

Stephen Strasburg addresses media on his Tommy John surgery (Washington Post). Strasburg offers an impressively philosophical explanation of the pitch that ended his rookie season: “You’re looking at two changeups of the hundreds of thousands of changeups that I’ve thrown, whether it’s out in the outfielder, in a bullpen, during a game. I mean, it could have been any pitch.” [h/t BBTF]

Hunter plates eight in Portland win (MiLB.com). Not to rain on Cedric Hunter’s parade, but do you know what else happened in this game? Five of the 24 batters Josh Geer faced took him deep. Ouch.

Enter our contest! Win an Annual! (Hardball Times). I’m not eligible, but you are. Not sure if this is a point for or against, but some of my work will be appearing in the 2011 Annual.

Richard Fills Peavy’s Shoes (FanGraphs). This is review material for most of us, but it doesn’t get old: “For the Padres to get out from under that massive contract while adding a pitcher who can replace the production is just an incredible, incredible find, as Clayton Richard looks to be a key for the Padres franchise both for now and the conceivable future.” [h/t reader Didi]

Cooperstown Confidential: The unofficial ban of Mike Marshall (Hardball Times). Fascinating article on a fascinating character: “Unlike most players, Marshall has relied on his academic achievements since his retirement. He had continued his education, earning his Ph.D. in 1978, which he added to his masters degree. In his post-playing days, Marshall has worked as an independent pitching coach and consultant for numerous athletes, preaching the theories of kinesiology.”

Latos: From a coach’s headache to Padres ace (U-T). Interesting metaphors: “He was a boat with the throttle down all the way with no rudder” … “He was like a wild stallion. You had to break him and tame him.” Well, thank goodness someone broke that throttle, or… tamed the rudder?

Managers as Players (Joe Posnanski). More wonderful stuff from Poz, ho hum. The Padres are well represented on this list: Ozzie Guillen, Bud Black (Poz expresses confusion over his being referred to as Buddy, which admittedly I don’t recall during Black’s playing days, but it’s all anyone calls him now), Cito Gaston, Bruce Bochy, Jim Riggleman… a good read. What, you were expecting something else from Poz? [h/t BBTF]

Another close one (Inside the Padres). Quoth Tom Krasovic: “I like that the Phillies are in San Diego. Makes for better baseball and, because Phillies fans are coming out, a better atmosphere.” I’m not sure, but I think Kras just dissed Padres fans there. I know Websoulsurfer did.

I’m getting really tired of hearing people diss Padres fans for not showing up at the ballpark. Don’t they know there’s a Great Recession going on? Don’t they know it was caused by a real estate implosion, and San Diego is one of the major epicenters? Don’t they know real estate is/was over 20% of the San Diego economy, and the region has lost 95,000 jobs in the last two years? Maybe they should also ask a plumber, carpenter or remodeler who’s still working, “How’s business?”

The fact is, it takes money to attend a ballgame, and for a family, a LOT of money, and the fans don’t have it. The Padres eliminated the “family bargain” nights, and have only a two-for-one ticket deal – in the right field upper deck. Even San Diegans with jobs are living in reduced circumstances.

Maybe people should have some perspective. I saw my first major league game at Fenway in 1965. My sister got the best box seats, right behind the Red Sox dugout, that cost $4 bucks apiece. The seats are still there, only they cost $130 now. Even when the prices were low, attendance in the old days was much lower. In 1965, the Twins won 102 games and had the highest AL attendance – less than 1.5 million! Last year, the Padres drew 1.9 million on the heels of a 99-loss season with 11% unemployment. This year, attendance will probably top 2 million, which is actually astounding for the economic conditions.

Larry,
I’m not sure your example provides perspective. You can make the Marlins and A’s attendance look good today by comparing it to 1965. Yes, attendance was much lower 40-50 years ago (especially in the AL), but a franchise today is in trouble drawing 1.5 million.
I think the recession plays a part in the Padres attendance woes, but there are plenty of other towns that are struggling too. What is discouraging is that the Padres have been 12th in league attendance for three straight years. The numbers this season are lower than 2008 (99 losses).
In other words, attendance, when compared to the Padres recent past, or to other NL teams, has not improved despite being in first place. I hope the FO doesn’t interpret that to mean the fans aren’t really interested in a winning team.

Sometimes there is a lag with gate numbers because so many tickets are bought pre-season. 2008 was inflated a bit by the team being decent the year before. This year has been hurt by the dismal play of the previous two years.
Still, I think the talk about attendance is a legitimate concern. A weekend series against the Phillies should have drawn bigger crowds (how come all the Phillie fans showed up despite the recession? Does the poor SD economy only hurt Padre fans?) A first-place team should not be 12th in league attendance. And a first-place team should be able to improve their attendance and rank from the previous two losing seasons.